Published on December 15, 2017
The St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Hartford recently named Public Relations Officer Dwight Bachman a special honoree of the Reverend Collin Bennett/Marcus Garvey Service Award.
The award, presented at the Marriott Hotel Downtown Hartford, in recognition of the late Reverend Collin Bennett ’81 and Marcus Garvey, Jamaica’s first national hero, “honors individuals from the Greater Hartford community who, like Marcus Garvey, promote racial pride, civic responsibility, and a keen interest in uplifting citizens in the communities to which they belong.”
“Garvey’s famous quote, ‘Up you mighty race and accomplish what you will,’is indicative of the thrust behind the contributions you and the other honorees have made,” said Mark Bailey, awards committee chairman. “It is this level of dedication, civic consciousness and strong commitment to action which St. Martin’s hopes will be a beacon for others to emulate.”
Four members of the Bennett family graduated from Eastern. Bennett, winner of Eastern’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994, was noted for his entrepreneurial, political and civic activities in Hartford. In October 2000, Bennett donated the funding to create his entire collection of Caribbean books for inclusion in the J. Eugene Smith Library, where it now sits on the third floor.
